Saigon was the capital of French Indochina from 1887 to 1902 and again from 1945 to 1954. Saigon later became the capital of South Vietnam from 1955 until its fall in 1975. On July 2, 1976 Saigon merged with the surrounding Gia Dinh Province and was officially renamed Ho Chi Minh City after the revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh.